Reflection weeks 13 and 14

We have only two weeks left in the semester as I write this on April 30, 2009. My finals week is basically next week with all of the presentations I have to do and projects to turn in. Finals week leaves me with one test and then will have to kill time in Duluth unitil May 16 for commencment ceremony.



What Week 13 has to offer

We started off the week with watching a video called "Story of Stuff". The video will explain where the stuff we throw away comes from and goes after we use it and throw it away. Quotes I like from the video.
"We are running out of limits, we are running out of stuff (natural materials)."
"Less than 4% of the USA's original forestry is still intact."
"If everyone consumed at the US rates we would need 4 to 5 planets to give everyone the things they need and waste."

The video gives a 20 minute explanation of how we are creating toxic substances and taking up resources at an amazing fast rate, and not replacing the resources. So, the earth will not be able to sustain itself as we are taking more than it can give without losing something like animal species for example.

Now Thursday's event was to go to Bagley Nature area. We were instructed by two Outdoor Education majors on how to navigate through the woods using a compase and destination points. We also learned how to "leap frog". What this means is that you find the point at which you need to travel and then send your partner ahead of you and tell them to go in the direction the compase is pointing. You find you main focus point and tell them to stop, then you count the paces they went by walking up to them. Note: a pace is two full steps. My group was Jayme, Randy, and Abbey. We all did exceptionally well at our compase skills.

I also should note the Advocacy Project we did which was "Issue Overview". We took from our last assignment and expanded on it. The bill and its issue were to be discussed and explained in full detail. This was a very important task to do to lead up to week 14's advocacy project assignment "Write a letter to an official".

What Week 14 has to offer

I would first like to start off by talking about the advocacy assignment of writing a letter to your public government official or letter to an editor. This was a very fun assignment for me as I could really see myself doing this in the near future. It makes me feel very American to do something like this. My letter was about urging my state senator to write a bill that stops Urban Sprawl an issue not really talked about. This issue could help keep the cost of living down by keeping the city more condensed which will mean less dependence on your cars for travel. We can walk to the grocery store rather than having to drive over 3 miles to get to one. Traffic will go down by living and working in the same general area. It is a very real concern of mine.

The next part of week 14 I would like to talk about is the guest speaker we had. The guest is apart of the masters program here at UMD with Environmental Health and Safety Master's Program. The guest told us about his experience as a Sustainablity work. This means that he finds ways to educate the public about how to keep wastes down and other ways on how to be more energy and waste efficient to save the environment.

On Thursday we were able to have some un-ordinary fun by participating in a "Junk Competition". We got together in our web groups and had to come up with interesting ways we can re-use a piece of junk. With the items being a glass jar (Fish Bowl), yellow plastic thing (bicylce basket), cup cake metal molds (wind chims pieces, or nut holder for a party), metal rack (Back scratcher), and an old sprinkler (pizza try holder). I believe these ideas won them all and blew all the other web groups away.

Now we wait for the end of the semseter and my college undergraduate career will soon be over. Hurray for May 16, please come as fast as possible.